Written Answers Monday 14 February 2005

Scottish Executive

Education

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-13365 by Peter Peacock on 21 January 2005, what percentage of young people left school at 16, broken down by local authority area, in (a) 1999, (b) 2000, (c) 2001, (d) 2002, (e) 2003 and (f) 2004.

Peter Peacock: A document has been lodged with the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 35208) containing the requested information. The data relates to all publicly funded secondary schools in Scotland, including pupils in special units.

Electricity

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost to consumers has been of the renewables obligation buy-out in each year since April 2002.

Mr Jim Wallace: Total payments to the buy-out fund by designated electricity suppliers in respect of the Renewables Obligation (Scotland) for the obligation periods thus far are as follows:

  

2002-03
£11,210,730


2003-04
£16,436,835



  The way in which suppliers’ costs are passed onto consumers is a matter for each individual supplier. Ofgem has estimated that the cost of the Renewables Obligations currently makes up around 2% of domestic debit electricity bills.

Electricity

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what effect its 18% renewable energy target by 2010 will have on the renewables obligation buy-out and whether it will disadvantage the consumer or Scottish-based generating companies, given the target of 10% set by the UK Government.

Mr Jim Wallace: Our target has no effect on the buy-out fund, nor does it disadvantage either consumers or Scottish based generating companies. The size of the buy-out fund is determined solely by the level of the obligation on designated electricity suppliers and the buy-out price.

Electricity

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what applications are being considered to increase declared net capacity of the hydroelectric stations at (a) Kinlochleven, (b) St Fillans, (c) Mossford, (d) Shin, (e) Quich, (f) Finlarig, (g) Grudie Bridge and (h) Culligran.

Allan Wilson: There are no applications before ministers for consent to increase the capacity of any of these hydroelectric stations.

First Minister

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive who the First Minister has entertained with (a) refreshments and (b) dinner in (i) Bute House and (ii) Edinburgh Castle in (1) 2003-04 and (2) 2004-05; what the total cost was of such events, and what the budget is for these purposes for 2004-05 and 2005-06.

Ms Margaret Curran: The following tables set out the details of the events hosted by the First Minister at Bute House and Edinburgh Castle in 2003-04 and 2004 to date. The tables also include the cost of each event and the total cost for both years at each venue.

  The budget for ministerial hospitality for 2004-05 is £100,000; the budget for 2005-06 has not yet been decided. The ministerial hospitality budget covers the hospitality requirements of all ministers. While the First Minister agrees which events will be funded and comprise the programme, he does not host every event

  Events Held at Edinburgh Castle and Hosted by The First Minister 2004 to 18 January 2005

  

Date
Type of Event
Organisation/Occasion
Cost of Event


6/10/03
Reception
First Minister’s Heroes 
£1,260.00


27/10/03
Reception
The 15th Commonwealth Conference of Education Ministers
£1,113.00


4/11/03
Reception
MTV Awards
£7,666.00


9/03/04
Reception 
Children’s Panel
£3,731.00


16/03/04
Reception
National Youth Orchestra of Scotland 
£2,335.00


Total cost of 2003-04 Castle Events
£16,105.00



  Events Held At Edinburgh Castle And Hosted By The First Minister: 2004 to 18 January 2005

  

Date
Type of Event
Organisation/Occasion
Cost of Event


4/10/04
Breakfast
First Minister’s Heroes
£2,080.00


29/11/04
Dinner
5th Conference of the Regions with Legislative Powers
£11,268.00


22/12/04
Reception
Scotland’s Commonwealth Games Youth Team
£3,872.00


Total cost of 2004-05 (So Far) Castle Events
£17,220.00



  First Minister Bute House Events 2003-04

  

Date
Type of Event
Organisation/Occasion
Cost of Event


30/06/2003
Lunch
Bavarian European Minister Rheinhold Bocket
£714.00


10/08/2003
Reception
Home Reading Initiatives Champions
£685.00


12/08/2003
Reception
Edinburgh International Festival
£586.00


03/11/2003
Reception
Scottish Parliamentarians
£511.00


14/11/2003
Reception
ENABLE
£294.00


18/12/2003
Reception
Political Reporters’ Christmas Reception
£1,270.00


24/01/2004
Dinner
First Minister’s Working Dinner
£1,028.00


10/02/2004
Dinner
Chief Constables
£849.00


06/03/2004
Dinner
First Minister’s Working Dinner
£1,223.00


16/03/2004
Reception
Presentation of Honorary OBE
£219.00


Total cost for the events hosted by the First Minister in Bute House 01/04/2003-31/03/2004
£7379.00



  2004 to 14 November 2004

  

Date
Type of Event
Organisation/Occasion
Cost of Event


24/04/2004
Dinner
First Minister’s Working Dinner
£1,432.77


01/04/2004
Reception
Scottish Enterprise
£560.18


11/05/2004
Reception
Project Scotland
£707.85


19/06/2004
Dinner
First Minister’s Working Dinner
£2,279.61


14/08/2004
Breakfast
Military Tattoo Salute
£692.20


16/08/2004
Reception
Edinburgh International Festival
£774.53


04/09/2004
Dinner
First Minister’s Working Dinner
£1,576.70


08/09/2004
Reception
Scottish members of the Athens Olympic Team UK
£1,411.36


30/09/2004
Reception
Reception prior to China Visit
£859.85


07/10/2004
Reception
Scottish Paralympians
£756.50


01/11/2004
Reception
Carnegie Philanthropy Medal Ceremony
£846.46


11/11/2004
Dinner
First Minister’s Working Dinner
£1,666.33


14/11/2004
Reception
Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards
£949.50


8/12/2004
Reception
Christmas Card Artwork
£608.79


15/12/2004
Reception
National Deaf Children’s Society
£1,847.13


16/12/2004
Reception
Political Reporter’s Christmas Reception
£960.89


Total cost for the events hosted by the First Minister in Bute House - 01/04/2004 to 31/01/2005
£17,930.65

Housing

Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many tied houses there are in each local authority area; what percentage of housing stock this represents, and how many families have not had security of tenure in each such area in each of the last five years.

Malcolm Chisholm: Information on the number of tied houses and families who do not have security of tenure is not available centrally.

  Information on tied households is available from the 2002 Scottish House Condition Survey, but data are not available for the last five years. Due to the small sample sizes involved, it is not possible to provide the data at local authority level.

  Approximately 19,500 households were in tied housing in 2002, with 11,500 in rural areas and 8,000 in urban areas (the figures have been rounded).

  It is estimated that there were 2,217,000 households at 30 June 2002. Therefore, less than 1% of households were in tied housing.

  It is estimated that there were 2,344,000 dwellings at 31 December 2002.

Housing

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-13366 by Malcolm Chisholm on 21 January 2005, what percentage of people in Scotland lived in overcrowded housing, broken down by local authority area, in (a) 1999-2000, (b) 2000-01, (c) 2001-02, (d) 2002-03 and (e) 2003-04.

Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is in table 1. As the information is only available at local authority level for 1999 and 2000 and 2001 and 2002, additional information is contained in table 2.

  Table 1: Percentage of People in Scotland who Live in Overcrowded Households, by Local Authority

  

 
1999 and 2000
2001 and 2002


%
Base
%
Base


Aberdeen City 
6
2,662
6
2,680


Aberdeenshire
4
3,071
4
3,149


Angus
4
1,508
4
1,520


Argyll and Bute
8
1,356
4
1,289


Clackmannanshire
5
1,408
5
1,265


Dumfries and Galloway
5
2,085
6
1,925


Dundee City 
6
1,648
8
1,842


East Ayrshire
6
1,558
5
1,667


East Dunbartonshire 
3
1,535
4
1,579


East Lothian 
6
1,390
3
1,432


East Renfrewshire 
3
1,278
4
1,321


Edinburgh City 
6
5,422
5
5,025


Eilean Siar
6
1,552
5
1,371


Falkirk 
6
1,966
4
1,867


Fife 
4
4,485
4
4,472


Glasgow City 
11
6,661
10
6,777


Highland 
3
2,656
4
2,822


Inverclyde
12
1,242
8
1,219


Midlothian 
8
1,530
7
1,588


Moray
3
1,519
3
1,490


North Ayrshire
6
1,930
5
1,727


North Lanarkshire 
9
4,002
9
4,128


Orkney
3
1,301
2
1,457


Perth and Kinross
4
1,766
3
1,682


Renfrewshire
8
2,144
8
2,154


Scottish Borders
4
1,434
4
1,472


Shetland
5
1,506
4
1,570


South Ayrshire
4
1,594
6
1,571


South Lanarkshire 
8
3,871
7
3,860


Stirling 
4
1,511
3
1,404


West Dunbartonshire 
8
1,238
7
1,170


West Lothian 
4
2,055
4
1,958


Scotland 
6
70,884
6
70,453



  Table 2: Percentage of People in Scotland who Live in Overcrowded Households, by Local Authority Grouping

  

 
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003


%
Base
%
Base
%
Base
%
Base
%
Base


Edinburgh
7
2,625
5
2,797
5
2,621
5
2,404
5
2,549


Glasgow 
12
2,896
11
3,765
9
3,559
10
3,218
10
3,241


Fife 
5
2,272
4
2,213
4
2,044
4
2,428
4
2,293


North Lanarkshire 
9
2,022
9
1,980
7
2,086
11
2,042
9
2,051


South Lanarkshire 
7
1,928
9
1,943
6
1,994
8
1,866
6
1,901


Highlands and Islands
5
4,892
4
4,998
4
5,057
4
4,942
3
4,765


Grampian
5
2,813
5
2,920
5
2,931
5
2,898
3
2,795


Tayside
4
2,441
5
2,481
6
2,435
5
2,609
5
2,276


Central
5
2,351
5
2,534
4
2,304
3
2,232
3
2,214


Dunbartonshire
6
1,350
5
1,423
7
1,422
5
1,327
6
1,210


Renfrewshire and Inverclyde
8
2,148
7
2,516
7
2,474
7
2,220
5
2,406


Ayrshire
6
2,503
5
2,579
6
2,614
4
2,351
4
2,168


Lothians
8
2,643
3
2,332
5
2,607
4
2,371
5
2,321


Southern Scotland 
5
1,824
4
1,695
5
1,706
5
1,691
4
1,658


Scotland 
7
34,708
6
36,176
6
35,854
6
34,599
5
33,848



  Source: The Scottish Household Survey (SHS), 1999-2003.

  Notes:

  1. Figures for 2004 have not yet been published.

  2. Comparisons between years and areas should be treated with caution as the statistics may differ due to, for example, sampling variability.

  3. For the purposes of this PQ, ‘overcrowded households’ are defined as being households which are below the bedroom standard. The calculation of the number of bedrooms required is based on the assumption that a separate bedroom is required for:

  
- each cohabiting couple;
- any other person aged 21 years or over;
- each pair of young persons of the same sex aged 10-20 years; and
- each pair of children under 10 years (regardless of sex).


  Unpaired young persons aged 10-20 are paired with a child under 10 of the same sex if possible or allocated a separate bedroom. Any unpaired children under 10 are also allocated a separate bedroom.

  4. The results are given for calendar years as the survey is not designed to be representative for any council area for a financial year.

  5. Table 1 gives figures for two-year periods, as the SHS is not designed to be representative for all councils over a one-year period.

  6. Table 2 gives figures for each calendar year for local authority groupings. For further information on these groups, please refer to the SHS publications:

  (www.scotland.gov.uk/shs).

  7. The base numbers show the size of the population sub-group questioned in the survey (i.e. people examined in each area) but cannot be used to calculate how many respondents gave a certain answer.

Justice

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) motoring and (b) speeding offences have been committed by foreign nationals in each year since 1999 and, of these, how many were prosecuted successfully.

Cathy Jamieson: The information requested is not available from the statistics collected centrally on crimes and offences recorded by the police and on convictions as these do not include information on the nationality of offenders.

Local Government Finance

Mr Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding will be awarded to Highland Council for coastal and harbour repairs following the storms in January and when this will be made available.

Tavish Scott: Local authorities have a general duty to deal with emergencies and there is no automatic entitlement to special assistance. In exceptional circumstances authorities can apply under the Bellwin Scheme for emergency assistance to meet any undue financial assistance. The key criterion of the Bellwin Scheme is safeguarding life and property and prevention of suffering or severe inconvenience and involves councils in directly related unavoidable and uninsurable expenditure.

  I can confirm that the Bellwin Scheme has been activated by ministers today to enable financial assistance to be provided under the scheme to Highland Council, Orkney Islands Council and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar to deal with the immediate aftermath of the severe storms which occurred in the area in January 2005.

  Claims for eligible expenditure, under the terms of the scheme, will be considered by the Executive when they are received from the individual councils.

National Health Service

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the evidence to the Audit Committee on 25 January 2005 by the Head of the Health Department and Chief Executive of the NHS in Scotland, what the cost of backdating the new consultant contract was in each NHS board area.

Mr Andy Kerr: We are currently working with colleagues in NHSScotland to provide the data requested. I will write to the member as soon as the information is available and will arrange for a copy of my reply to be placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

Prison Service

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many clinical psychologists are employed in the Scottish Prison Service, broken down by prison.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  The SPS currently employs one clinical psychologist who supplies services within SPS as required.

Scottish Executive Finance

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how the statement by Mr Tom McCabe at c 14063 in the Official Report on 27 January 2005 on the use of £100 figures for Executive accruals in its Budget (Scotland) (No. 2) Bill is consistent with (a) Annex C of HM Treasury’s guide regarding departmental resource accounts that relate to Parliamentary supply, the "Yellow Book", which defines accruals accounting as "A method of recording expenditure as it is incurred, and income as it is earned, during an accounting period, rather than when cash is spent or received", (b) the Inland Revenue treatment of accruals as adopted within FRS17 and carried forward to FRS18 that "Required revenue and costs to be accrued, that is recognised as they were earned or incurred, not as money is received or paid, and matched with one another in so far as their relationship can be established or justifiably assumed. They were to be dealt with in the profit and loss account of the period to which they related; provided that where the accruals concept was inconsistent with the prudence concept the latter prevailed", (c) the UK Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and (d) any other generally-accepted use of accruals during a budgeting process that attempts to predict and direct outcomes.

Mr Tom McCabe: I congratulate the member on his erudition. He will know that the first three references he gives are guidance on accounts, and that accounts come after the end of the relevant financial year. As I explained during the debate on Stage 1, the use of £100 in the Budget Bill is an accepted convention to signal that the exact amount of receipts cannot be accurately forecast, where we could not provide a "taut and realistic" figure for bill. The Budget Bill of course comes before the start of the relevant financial year.

  We use £100 to signal clearly that there will be receipts – but that we are as yet uncertain as to their extent. When accurate forecasts become available, we will insert them during the year through the regular budget revisions. Of course, these revisions are long before we reach the accounts. A clear signal to the use of the convention is that for all other budget purposes the smallest unit of resource we use is £1,000 – in other words, we do not recognize any numbers below £1,000, and all figures have to be in complete thousands.

  The same convention applies in the Westminster Estimates (the equivalent of our Budget Bill and revisions) – though they use the figure of £1,000 for this purpose.

Transport

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made on the Glasgow Crossrail project.

Nicol Stephen: Supported by a Scottish Executive Integrated Transport Fund award of £0.5 million, Strathclyde Passenger Transport has appointed the consultants Scott Wilson to undertake a feasibility study into the proposed Crossrail scheme. The study’s findings are expected in mid-June.

Windfarms

Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many proposals for wind farm developments are currently being considered by ministers, broken down by local authority area.

Allan Wilson: Scottish ministers are currently considering 24 applications to construct and operate windfarms. A break down in terms of local authority area is summarised in the following table.

  

Local Authority
Windfarm s36 Applications


Aberdeenshire
12


Argyll and Bute
1


Comhairle nan Eilean Siar
2


Dumfries and Galloway
3


East Ayrshire
31


East Lothian
13


East Renfrewshire 
11


Highland
3


Inverclyde
1


Moray
42


Perth and Kinross
4


Scottish Borders
13


South Lanarkshire
21


West Dunbartonshire
1


Total
24



  Notes:

  1. The proposed Whitelee windfarm extends over South Lanarkshire, East Ayrshire and East Renfrewshire local authority areas.

  2. The proposed Clashindarroch windfarm extends over Moray and Aberdeenshire local authority areas.

  3. The proposed Crystal Rig Phase 2 extends over Scottish Borders and East Lothian local authority areas.